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National Association of the Motion Picture Industry

The National Association of the Motion Picture Industry (NAMPI) was an American film industry self-regulatory body created by the Hollywood studios in 1916 to answer demands for film censorship by states and municipalities.[1][2][3]

History

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The system consisted of a series of "Thirteen Points", a list of subjects and storylines they promised to avoid.[1] However, there was no method of enforcement if a studio film violated the Thirteen Points content restrictions.[4] The NAMPI tried to prevent New York from becoming the first state with its own film censorship board in 1921, but failed. NAMPI was ineffective and was replaced when the studios hired Will H. Hays to oversee the film content restrictions in 1922.[5]

Epidemic response

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In 1918, the Association asked New York City Health Commissioner Royal S. Copeland to forward to them his observations regarding any relation between the motion picture theaters and the influenza epidemic in New York. Dr. Copeland had decided to permit the motion picture theaters to remain open.[6] Nonetheless, in as much as two-thirds of movie houses had been closed by local boards of health, the Association decided to halt the release of new features.[7]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ a b Ben Yagoda (February–March 1980). "HOLLYWOOD CLEANS UP ITS ACT". American Heritage Magazine. Vol. 31, no. 2. Archived from the original on 20 October 2006.
  2. ^ "American film censorship". filmreference.com. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
  3. ^ Butters. p. 149
  4. ^ Butters. p. 151.
  5. ^ Doherty. p. 6
  6. ^ "Letter, from: Royal S. Copeland, MD, to: National Association of the Motion Picture Industry, December 17, 1918", Influenza Encyclopedia, University of Michigan  This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  7. ^ "Film Releases shut Off in Grip Crisis", New York American, October 10, 1918, p. 11

References

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  • Black, Gregory D. Hollywood Censored: Morality Codes, Catholics, and the Movies. Cambridge University Press 1996 ISBN 0-521-56592-8
  • Butters, Gerard R. Banned in Kansas: Motion Picture Censorship, 1915-1966. University of Missouri Press 2007 ISBN 978-0-8262-1749-3
  • Doherty, Thomas Patrick. Pre-Code Hollywood: Sex, Immorality, and Insurrection in American Cinema 1930-1934. New York: Columbia University Press 1999. ISBN 0-231-11094-4
  • Wittern-Keller, Laura. Freedom of the Screen: Legal Challenges to State Film Censorship, 1915-1981. University Press of Kentucky 2008 ISBN 978-0-8131-2451-3
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